Budget lines for fuel usage should be developed for each department and equipment provider where the fuel is paid for by the production.
HVO fuel is a drop-in replacement for diesel fuel made from recovered cooking oil. It has a slightly higher cost over fossil diesel but it offers a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions. When choosing transport companies, facilities companies, generator suppliers and suppliers of diesel fuelled equipment (tower lights, genie booms, etc.), please specify a requirement that the equipment be supplied with a full tank of HVO fuel.
Hybrid diesel-battery options should be chosen in preference to diesel options when hiring generators, tower lights, genie booms and other powered equipment.
Location managers should be encouraged to source locations and unit bases where mains power is/can be available in order to reduce the burning of diesel in generators for power.
Generators should not be run at night/on weekends to power catering fridges/equipment. Battery and hybrid-battery options should be used if mains power is not available.
Landlords of production offices, props stores, studios, workshops and other premises should be asked to switch their electricity tariff to 100% renewable.
When hiring trucks and vans, please investigate opportunities to use vehicles that conform to the Euro 5 or Euro 6 emissions standard. These vehicles can consume up to 25% less fuel.
When hiring generators and off-road equipment, please investigate opportunities to use equipment that conform to the Tier V emissions standard. These engines consume up to 10% less fuel.
A no idling policy should be implemented and all crew and suppliers, especially those whose fuel is paid for by the production, should be required to comply with this policy.
Equipment should be switched off and plugged out when not in use.
Circular Economy
Zero Waste policies should be adopted across all departments on the production.
Multi-bin systems which enable the segregation of waste into waste streams should be obtained from licenced waste/recycling providers. Signage and other appropriate guidance on the use of the bin systems should be provided to cast, crew and suppliers. Wastewater from catering, honey wagons, costume trucks and other activities must be collected and disposed of by licenced waste/recycling providers. Documentation showing the waste licence details and consignment notes should be retained for inspection.
Catering suppliers should serve food in compostable containers in order to ensure there is no contamination of the waste streams. If single use/recyclable containers are used, they must be washed and dried before being placed in the dry recyclables waste stream.
Breaches of the food waste regulations, waste licencing laws and environmental protection laws can lead to fines, prison sentences and reputational damage.
Electronic accounting and administration systems should be used in order to reduce paper use and potential travel by accounting staff.
Printing on paper should only be done on an opt-in basis, when absolutely necessary and printing should be on both sides of each sheet.
Asset Disposal Plans should be prepared by departments who purchase materials/goods for use on the production (construction, costume, set dec, props, etc.). These plans should identify all those materials which will be available for reuse, disposal, sale, donation, recycling or dumping at the end of the production and put together a strategy to ensure that the goods and materials are dealt with in the most appropriate way in line with the production's Zero Waste Policy.
Carbon Calculator
In December 2022 the Irish Government published their Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23). The CAP23 is the roadmap for achieving the emission reduction targets set down in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021.
Under the CAP23 the Irish film & TV production sector is obliged to reduce emissions by 25% by 2025 and by 50% by 2030. In order to achieve these emission reductions, we must quantify the greenhouse gas emissions coming from our activities and identify measures we can adopt to enable us to continue to produce film & TV content in a cost-effective manner while reducing our carbon footprint in line with our legal obligations.
Broadcasters, studios and funders are increasingly mandating the use of a carbon calculator to measure carbon emissions; the creation of a sustainability plan to identify ways to reduce carbon emissions; and the purchase of carbon offsets to mitigate the emissions which could not be avoided during production.
The carbon calculator takes data relating to utilities usage at non-filming spaces (production offices, props stores, workshops, etc.); fuel and utilities usage at filming spaces (studios and on location); travel & transport (cars, vans, trucks, planes, buses, trains, ferries, etc.); cast and crew accommodation; materials (wood, paint, textiles, props, water, plastics, food, etc.); waste disposal (recycling, reuse, composting, donation, upcycling, incineration, landfilling, etc.); and post-production. This data is used to calculate the CO2 emissions generated by the production.
The sustainability plan details the policies and emissions reduction objectives of the production, together with a suite of detailed measures that are to be taken in each department and by each supplier in order to reduce the amount of pollution generated on the production in line with our emissions reduction obligations.
Carbon offsets are purchased by productions to compensate for residual carbon emissions that could not be avoided. Funders will usually specify the types of carbon offsets they require and those offset schemes which meet their requirements.
